Ducati Monster Forum

 ;D

http://www.worldsbk.com/it/news/ultime-news/264-event-schedule.html (http://www.worldsbk.com/it/news/ultime-news/264-event-schedule.html)

Event Schedule Monza

All times local (GMT+2)

Friday         
10.00-12.00   120'   WSBK/WSS   TECHNICAL/SPORTING CHECKS
12.45-13.45   60'   WSBK   FREE PRACTICE
14.00-14.45   45'   SUPERSTOCK 1000   FREE PRACTICE
15.00-16.00   60'   WSS   FREE PRACTICE
16.15-17.15   60'   WSBK   QUALIFYING PRACTICE
17.30-18.00   30'   SUPERSTOCK 600   FREE PRACTICE

Saturday         
09.00-09.30   30'   SUPERSTOCK 1000   FREE PRACTICE
09.45-10.30   45'   WSS   FREE PRACTICE
10.45-11.30   45'   WSBK   QUALIFYING PRACTICE
11.45-12.15   30'   SUPERSTOCK 600   FREE PRACTICE
12.25-12.50   25'   PIT WALK   PIT WALK
13.00-13.45   45'   WSS   QUALIFYING PRACTICE
14.00-14.45   45'   WSBK   FREE PRACTICE
15.00-15.12   12'   WSBK   SUPERPOLE (1)
15.19-15.31   12'   WSBK   SUPERPOLE (2)
15.38-15.50   12'   WSBK   SUPERPOLE (3)
16.10-16.40   30'   SUPERSTOCK 1000   QUALIFYING PRACTICE
16.55-17.25   30'   SUPERSTOCK 600   QUALIFYING PRACTICE

Sunday         
09.00-09.10   10'   SUPERSTOCK 1000   WARM UP
09.20-09.40   20'   WSBK   WARM UP
09.50-10.10   20'   WSS   WARM UP
10.40      SUPERSTOCK 1000   RACE (11 LAPS KM. 63.723)
11.10-11.30   20'   PIT WALK   PIT WALK
12.00      WSBK   RACE 1 (18 LAPS KM. 104.274)
13.25      WSS   RACE (16 LAPS KM. 92.688)
14.30      SUPERSTOCK 600 RACE (8 LAPS KM. 46.344)
15.30      WSBK   RACE 2 (18 LAPS KM. 104.274)

WHAT? no preemptive "SPOILER!" in the title?...

Yer slippin' Derby...slippin' I tell ya!  :-\

Derby, you just spoiled that there was a WSBK race this weekend.  Asshole.   ;D

Did you see that (sucky) Shakey Byrne won the Italian Superbike race there last weekend..... by 16 seconds!! (he was there in lieu of WSB practise which he missed).

Not bad for a washed up loser.

If he didn't have giant boobies, I'm not interested.   ;)

betcha he can still out ride your butt 1 handed!

he's a multiple time BSB champion and can still ride better than alot of people....it takes alot to be able to tide at that level in the 1st place...I wouldn't call him a loser...or washed up...

zooom, he's make the beast with two backsin' with me.  It's follow-up from this thread:  http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=14405.msg409709#msg409709 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=14405.msg409709#msg409709)

Yes I know.

(Remember to breathe when you type. ;D)

GOTCHA!   my bad!  all's good and gravy like in Brooklyn!

If you'd take the eurosports commentator's word for it, he's the secon, third and fourth coming of Rossi :)

I can't wait for this. Monza is a long time favourite track of mine. The track should suit the duc a little more than the yammie. Let's see what spies can bring...

If you take the Eurosport peoples' word for it, anyone up front is the second coming of Rossi.

as long as he's a brit

King James what??...LOL

original post updated w/ event schedule.

Will Speed have it on the tube?

right after the formula 1 re-air.

1p - race 1
2p - race 2

(left coast time)

Where did you find that broadcast time?

I looked on the Speed site, and it was either cleverly hidden or not there at all.... or maybe I'm web-comatose.

Doood...

it's derby.

he knows everything. ;D

http://www.speedtv.com/schedule/filter/date/2009-5-10 (http://www.speedtv.com/schedule/filter/date/2009-5-10)

Sweet!

Thanks all!

Hope I don't fall asleep during the WSBK broadcasts - would hate to miss the Harley's 'round the world show....

FP1 Reults

1. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1098R 1min 46.177s
2. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1min 46.423s
3. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1min 46.458s
4. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 1min 46.520s
5. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 1min 46.556s
6. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1098R 1min 46.605s
7. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 46.615s
8. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 46.960s
9. Regis Laconi FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 1min 47.068s
10. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 1min 47.104s
11. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 47.105s
12. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 1min 47.268s
13. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 1min 47.372s
14. Karl Muggeridge AUS Celani Suzuki GSX-R1000 1min 47.503s
15. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR 1min 47.532s
16. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR 1min 47.690s
17. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 1min 47.703s
18. Tommy Hill GBR HANNspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR 1min 48.300s
19. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 48.523s
20. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 1min 48.880s
21. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 48.908s
22. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R 1min 49.076s
23. Jake Zemke USA Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 1min 49.405s
24. Shinya Nakano JPN Aprilia Racing RSV-4 1min 49.453s
25. Matteo Baiocco ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 49.581s
26. Brendan Roberts AUS Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 1min 49.725s
27. David Checa ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 1min 50.215s
28. Roland Resch AUT TKR Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R1000 1min 50.530s
29. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR 1mins 50.771s

1-11 all within a second of each other...MAN I love WSBK!

Q1 results

1. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1098R 1min 45.447s
2. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1min 45.758s
3. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1098R 1min 45.790s
4. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 45.919s
5. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 1min 45.962s
6. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 1min 45.985s
7. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1min 46.013s
8. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 1min 46.054s
9. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 46.140s
10. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 1min 46.164s
11. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 46.171s
12. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 1min 46.208s
13. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 1min 46.363s
14. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR 1min 46.545s
15. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR 1min 46.565s
16. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 46.566s
17. Karl Muggeridge AUS Celani Suzuki GSX-R1000 1min 46.690s
18. Regis Laconi FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 1min 47.078s
19. Matteo Baiocco ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 47.220s
20. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 1min 47.317s
21. Tommy Hill GBR HANNspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR 1min 47.362s
22. Jake Zemke USA Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 1min 47.751s
23. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R 1min 47.955s
24. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 47.963s
25. Shinya Nakano JPN Aprilia Racing RSV-4 1min 48.284s
26. Brendan Roberts AUS Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 1min 48.667s
27. David Checa ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 1min 48.920s
28. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR 1mins 48.981s
29. Roland Resch AUT TKR Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R1000 1min 49.119s

 [popcorn]

Can't wait. 

somebody musta put the fear of job loss into Fabrizio or something....

it's his "local" track.

He can go as fast as he wants at Monza.  He's still on my "teh suck" list (along with JT, Shakey and a coupla others) until he proves he doesn't belong there.

Zemke's more than two seconds off pace.  While that's not bad, it's not fast enough yet.  :-\  New track (I think), new tires, hasn't been on a literbike in a while, new team, new continent . . . he gets some slack for now.

Fabrizio's 'home' track and he's on a Duc, I'm sure he's psyched up.

BMW's mid pack, thought they would be doing a bit better.

Leon a bit slower than I expected.
Same for Ben.
I'm confident both will improve.  :)

Zemke struggling a bit, but he's coping with a *lot* of new things.

Go Spies!

i'd say not being last at this point is an accomplishment for jake

and i'm sure ben will pick it up  ;)

Can someone check derbypedia and get Ben's test times from Monza for me?  Mkaythanks.

Monza WSBK testing – day one

1. Michel Fabrizio Ducati Xerox 1min 45.7s
2. Noriyuki Haga Ducati Xerox 1min 45.8s
3. Ben Spies Yamaha WSB 1min 45.9s
4. Tom Sykes Yamaha WSB 1min 45.9s
5. Max Neukirchner Suzuki Alstare 1min 46.3s
6. Troy Corser BMW 1min 46.3s
7. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki Alstare 1min 46.8s
8. Karl Muggeridge Suzuki Celani 1min 47.1s
9. Ruben Xaus BMW 1min 47.2s

Monza WSBK testing – day two

1. Ben Spies Yamaha WSB 1min 45.3s
2. Noriyuki Haga Ducati Xerox 1min 45.5s
3. Michel Fabrizio Ducati Xerox 1min 45.6s
4. Max Neukirchner Suzuki Alstare 1min 45.8s
5. Tom Sykes Yamaha WSB 1min 45.8s
6. Karl Muggeridge Suzuki Celani 1min 46.0s
7. Yukio Kagayama Suzuki Alstare 1min 46.3s
8. Ruben Xaus BMW 1min 46.8s
9. Troy Corser BMW 1min 47.1s

I suspect he could do a 45 flat at least, given he's had some more time on the bike since the test.
Dunno if track conditions are comparable, so YMMV.  ???

Do they test on qualys or race tires?

both...

Sorry, I know that.  I didn't ask my question well.  Is there any easy way to know (other than going back and reading the arrticles on the Monza test) whether the Monza test times were on qualys or race tires?

i have a vague little memory that ben's 45.3 was on a race tire.  could be completely wrong tho.

him hanging out in 7-10 for Q1 is not new, for some reason.

Haga said the track conditions are NOT comparable.

"It's gone very well today yes. Unfortunately the track conditions are not as good as they were during testing here a couple of weeks ago but finally we got under the 1m 45secs barrier and feeling has improved throughout the day even if I hope to find more improvements tomorrow by changing a few things.

“We're still not sure about the tyres but it will be interesting to see how we go tomorrow morning. So far, so good I think.”

---

Ben said that they weren't trying to go for speed today, but were working on getting consistency for the race tires, which he says they found. 

Ben Spies, Yamaha World Superbike Team (7th, 1'46.013)
"It was a really good session for us. We pretty much found our race tyres , we only ran one set for the whole session and put in some really good lap times. We weren't really worried about fast lap times today, we just wanted to get consistent laps so we should be good for Sunday. It's an 18 lap race and our fastest lap today was the 22nd one so it's looking good. The bike's working really well so we'll step it up tomorrow and see what happens."

Qualifying (2)

1. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1098R 1min 44.974s
2. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 1min 45.224s
3. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 45.373s
4. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1098R 1min 45.448s
5. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 1min 45.748s
6. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1min 45.755s
7. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1min 45.758s
8. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 1min 45.919s
9. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 1min 45.985s
10. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 45.988s
11. Regis Laconi FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 1min 46.103s
12. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 46.140s
13. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 1min 46.264s
14. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 1min 46.264s
15. Karl Muggeridge AUS Celani Suzuki GSX-R1000 1min 46.319s
16. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R 1min 46.426s
17. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR 1min 46.477s
18. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR 1min 46.545s
19. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 46.566s
20. Shinya Nakano JPN Aprilia Racing RSV-4 1min 46.946s

21st to 29th do not progress to Superpole

21. Tommy Hill GBR HANNspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR 1min 47.032s
22. Brendan Roberts AUS Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 1min 47.130s
23. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 1min 47.220s
24. Matteo Baiocco ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 47.220s
25. Jake Zemke USA Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 1min 47.751s
26. David Checa ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 1min 47.868s
27. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 47.963s
28. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR 1mins 48.063s
29. Roland Resch AUT TKR Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R1000 1min 48.810s

Superpole


1. Ben Spies USA Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1min 44.073s
2. Michel Fabrizio ITA Ducati Xerox 1098R 1min 44.270s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 44.642s
4. Max Neukirchner GER Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 1min 44.900s
5. Noriyuki Haga JPN Ducati Xerox 1098R 1min 45.096s
6. Jonathan Rea GBR HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 45.170s
7. Max Biaggi ITA Aprilia Racing RSV-4 1min 45.605s
8. Yukio Kagayama JPN Alstare Suzuki GSX-R 1000K9 1min 45.861s

9. Carlos Checa ESP HANNspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR 1min 45.166s
10. Tom Sykes GBR Yamaha WSB YZF R1 1min 45.383s
11. Troy Corser AUS BMW Motorrad S1000RR 1min 45.543s
12. Regis Laconi FRA DFX Corse Ducati 1098R 1min 45.663s
13. Broc Parkes AUS Kawasaki SRT ZX-0R 1min 46.368s
14. Ruben Xaus ESP BMW Motorrad S1000RR 1min 46.571s
15. Shane Byrne GBR Sterilgarda Ducati 1098R 1min 46.593s
16. Shinya Nakano JPN Aprilia Racing RSV-4 1min 46.928s

17. Leon Haslam GBR Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 1min 46.250s
18. Luca Scassa ITA Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 46.372s
19. Karl Muggeridge AUS Celani Suzuki GSX-R1000 1min 46.407s
20. Jakub Smrz CZE Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 1min 46.522s

21. Tommy Hill GBR HANNspree Althea Honda CBR1000RR 1min 47.032s
22. Brendan Roberts AUS Guandalini Racing Ducati 1098R 1min 47.130s
23. Makoto Tamada JPN Kawasaki SRT ZX-10R 1min 47.220s
24. Matteo Baiocco ITA PSG-1 Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 47.220s
25. Jake Zemke USA Stiggy Motorsport Honda CBR1000RR 1min 47.751s
26. David Checa ESP Yamaha France GMT 94 1min 47.868s
27. David Salom ESP Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R 1min 47.963s
28. Vittorio Iannuzzo ITA SCI Honda CBR1000RR 1mins 48.063s
29. Roland Resch AUT TKR Switzerland Suzuki GSX-R1000 1min 48.810s

Haga in 5th huh?  interesting...

I have stopped being amazed at how spies does it. I just accept that the man is capable of bending the space/time continuum to his will whenever he is on quali tures

re 5th, Haga said, “Today's Superpole? Well I'm not so worried about not being on the front row to be honest. There are tracks, like Valencia, where it's more important to start up front but Monza isn't one of those tracks and the person who starts from first can easily be down in fifth by the end of the first lap. I'm feeling confident ahead of tomorrow's races.”

re Spies, I didn't realize quite how unusual his streak is until I read this (from crash.net):  Spies' feat puts him level with Carl Fogarty in terms of pole position streaks, leaving him just one off Doug Polen's all-time record achieved in 1991.

I'm a bit bummed that Haslam is starting so far back.  I'd like to see him close enough up front that he'd be with the front-runners early on. 

Looks like someone had a talk with the Ten Kate boys about not being embarassed by the Stiggy privateer team anymore.

And where's tufty?  Cuz Shakey is still teh suck.   [laugh]

6 in row is the record, yeah.  "wow" is a bit redundant at this point.  but... wow.

man wsbk is just embarrassing the shit outta GP this year...  ;)

Ben Spies says he deliberately maintained a low profile throughout the Monza weekend before showing his full hand in Superpole on the way to a fifth straight pole position. (http://www.crash.net/World+Superbikes/News/146561/1/spies_we_tried_to_sneak_under_the_radar.html)

Ah . . . this explains it. (from worldsbk.com)

"The next rider up was Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox), who had to use his second allocated qualifier to save himself from the cut after the second run."

Did Spies run out of fuel?

Sucks to lose it that way.

WSBK > * this year. I cannot believe how awesome the Spies/Haga battles have been. Bad luck for Spies in Race 1, I dunno how many times the lead changed over those last couple of laps but that was *almost* as good as Assen Race 1.

 :o  Wow!!

Both races were great!!

Bad luck for Spies in 1.   [bang]

Hopefully Haga is okay from his crash in 2. 

i'm amazed that ben pulled it together in the hour between race 1 and race 2.  i would have been PISSED.  like kill someone pissed.   >:( :'(

unbelievable pass by ben at the end of race 1.. i've never seen him do the rossi leg thing   :o

heartbreaking.. again.  but he sure put his stamp on race 2.  eh, i'll just reel it out to 5.7 seconds and then cruise in.

i'm not taking anything away from haga, but that (/something like that) had to happen eventually.  hope he's ok.  where are we, 51 points or so?

looking forward to next week... let's not forget that, like Monza, ben has already tested at/been superman fast at Kyalami.

any news on Haga?

where are we, Australia?  he hit a bird.

http://www.crash.net/World+Superbikes/News/146625/1/bird_caused_haga_delay_accident.html (http://www.crash.net/World+Superbikes/News/146625/1/bird_caused_haga_delay_accident.html)

Unreal...

I understand...

I hit a hawk on the road a couple of years ago...

much lower speeds, and it still hurt.

I woke up at 3am in the morn to watch it live and couldn't get the feed.  Dunno what was going on.  Stayed up for an hour waiting.  Had to wait for it come on Speed.  Blech.

Race 1 was absolutely awesome.  That was some fun, fun racing to watch.  Every round, WSBK is living up to the hype.  I think the Eurosport announcers were gonna run out on track and jump right onto Ben's dick when he did a mid-race stoppie.  Fabrizio was an absolute demon on the brakes.  Madness.  And yes, Spies ran out of fuel.  He managed to get 15th by coasting in.  That's sucks.  It's good that he's pretty even keel.  I woulda kicked the shit out of the bike ala Hopper. 

That crash at the start looked nasty.  The first I saw it, I thought a bike shot up in the air and landed directly on a downed rider. I thought at the time was Corser and was pretty sure he was dead.  On replay, it looked bad, but not as bad as I thought originally.  That was a relief.  But Max N is gone for the reason.

I'm glad Haga wasn't hurt in Race 2, but frankly, I'm kinda glad he crashed.  It kinda evened the score for this weekend.  Ben took 6 points off of Haga's lead.  It woulda sucked for the watching for the rest of the season if Haga left the weekend 80 points ahead.  I find it a bit strange that Ben is the up-down guy in WSBK, either winning or not scoring.  He was a model of consistency in AMA. 

Fabrizio's making a decent charge in the championship.  He's only 20 or so pts behind Ben.  'course, not every weekend can be at home track.  And can someone tell me why he can't get some leathers that fit him?  Jeez.

Zemke didn't do anything remotely interesting (other than get a ride through penalty).  To be expected.

Where was Shakey?  Like 400th place?

P.S.  Why didn't all those folks who cut the chicane just let guys by them so they didn't get a penalty?!?

Did you see Fabrizio wave to Spies the first time he went by him in race 1? Un-friggin-believable.

That woulda haunted him if Spies didn't run out of gas.

We were saying the same thing at the bar.

I was wondering if that was good-natured or a dick move.  I was hoping there would be a comment about it from either of them, but didn't see anything.  Fabrizio did say at the beginning of the weekend that he was looking forward to battling with Ben because they hadn't traded paint this year.  

Race 1...WOW  [bow_down] [bow_down] Amazing! What a major bummer for Spies.

I wondered about the Fabrizio "wave" as well. I was thinking, while it was funny, that I wouldn't be taunting Ben...he's one fast mo fo that'll make you regret it. Wonder what it really was?  ???

What happened to Haga in Race 2? He started off flying, but dropped back super quick. Was that the bird?
edit: just read the Haga bird article...weird.

Yup, the bird:

http://www.crash.net/World+Superbikes/News/146625/1/bird_caused_haga_delay_accident.html (http://www.crash.net/World+Superbikes/News/146625/1/bird_caused_haga_delay_accident.html)

derby said something a while ago about changes to the wsbk site that may have killed the proxy thingy...?


think it was corser too.  but somehow he was starting to get up a minute later.  

too bad for max n.. he got very broken.


despite the fact that just about everything ben is doing is superhuman, keep in mind how many 'firsts' he's battling.  plus, it really is a new R1.  that yosh gixxer, on the other hand, is about the most developed sbk on the planet. (or, was)

his lap times (when he finishes the race) are as consistent as ever.  that's one of the things that is so completely amazing.


fixed it for ya  ;)

More specific info below.

The doctors of the Clinica Mobile saw Noriyuki immediately after his accident and Doctor Corbascio declared that Nori has suffered from a severe contusion to his right bicep, but that there are no fractures, just a laceration of the muscle.

Someone mentioned getting Mat to sub in on the zuke for Max N at Miller.  That would be f'n AWESOME!   [thumbsup]

Mladin vs Spies again...with Nori-San thrown in the mix. And I'll be there (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=23073.0), at turn 1. Can't...friggin...wait.

lol, i ain't biting...

Are there any links to how Neukirchner is?

Pics of turn 1 crash on crash.net

http://www.crash.net/World+Superbikes/pictureArchive/146642/5/photos.html (http://www.crash.net/World+Superbikes/pictureArchive/146642/5/photos.html)


(http://pix.crash.net/motorsport/360/PA585349.jpg)



I missed watching the races  :'(

Mitt, you gotta find a way to get your hands on Race 1.  It was awesome. 

I read on Worldsbk.com that he suffered a fractured right femur and dislocated right foot.   :(

I bet he will back on the bike before the end of the season.   [thumbsup]

someone like one of us or someone who actually matters?  =)

Update on Max:

Team Suzuki Alstare Brux rider Max Neukirchner is on the mend after his horrific crash on the opening lap of the first race at Monza. On Sunday evening he underwent a six hour operation to repair the damaged bones in his right leg and although he lost quite a bit of blood, a transfusion was not deemed necessary. According to the doctors, the operation passed without any complications and there are no reasons why Max cannot make a full and successful recovery.

When Max came out of the operation, at about two o'clock in the morning, he asked for some water, a pizza and what took them so long! Max will remain in the hospital in Monza for the next few days, before flying home as soon as the doctors give him the OK to do so.


Max declared: I remember everything and I can tell you that the pain was unbearable. As soon as the doctors give me the green light, I want to go home immediately."

You have really low self esteem.  You matter, gm2.  You really do.  Don't let anyone tell you differently.  <group hug>

That said, it was one of us pointless turds.  Still a cool idea though.   [thumbsup]

or was he trying to wave haga through with him? I don't know  ???


the extra laps (one extra out lap, and one extra warm up lap) after the red flag in race 1 must have been enough to run ben out of gas. or can they top off the fuel before a re-start?

I was wondering if they're not allowed to top-up.

Or maybe the crew forgot?

it was a full restart (18 laps), so i'm positive they would've refilled the tank after the red flag, especially at monza.

in the eurosport coverage, there's a shot of houseworth talking to the team and getting the exact procedure for the restart (how many pre-race laps, etc).

ben also said took his race 2 siting and warmup laps "easy" and tried to conserve fuel during the race.

Wow, check out the post-Monza carnage:

-- Corser (BMW) out for next race, replaced by Steve Martin (yes, the announcer Steve Martin).
-- Neukirchner (Suzuki) out, replaced in South Africa by Fonzi Nieto (and fingers crossed, Mladin at Miller -- that's just me talkin')
-- Tamada (Kawi) out for South Africa
-- Brendan Roberts (Guandalini Duc, teammate of Smrz) out for SA, repalced by Lavilla

Please let it be true...please let it be true...please let it be true...

Can you imagine?  It's new tires (which is a big deal), but he knows the track and knows the '09 gixxer (though not in WSBK-spec).  And we know he can run with Spies . . . 

it would be interesting to see for sure...I am betting it'd be a wager laden affair if it were to come to fruition...

Oh, *that* Steve Martin.

(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.loveandblueberries.com/media/2008/08/steve_martin-400-300.jpg)

new world record for shit hitting the fan

(http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/archive/monzacarnage.jpg)

i think laguna 1998 may still have it beat:

WSBK LagunaSeca 1998 2 huge crashes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2YUEbLeWv0#lq-hq-vhq)

Check out Neuk's right leg.

Ow.  :-[

FAAAAACCCCCCCKKKKKK     :'(

Yeah, a torsional/complex fracture.

I'm sure that didn't feel to great. 

Probably looked something this on the x-ray.

(http://www.ao-asif.ch/AOFileServerSurgery/MyPortalFiles?FilePath=/Surgery/Active/_img/surgery/01-Diagnosis/32/32_C1.jpg)

What the hell happened.....my downloaded version did not show this????

AMAZING PIC!!!....that Honda looks photoshopped in there!  I bet Laconi has his eyes closed as 400lbs of Japanese bike goes flying past his face!.....WOW

Fabrizio's wave was entertaining, but you have to win more than one race (and not by default) to get credit for that kind of cockiness.  Spies will continue to spank his ass.

This season is epic!!!  [popcorn]

you want the ~800mb version of race 1. the version you have starts after the redflag period this caused.

World Superbikes at Monza 2009 Terrible Start Accident (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTUDoezbSqQ#lq-lq2-hq-vhq)

http://matmladin.blogspot.com/ (http://matmladin.blogspot.com/)

"Race 1 Monza: How on earth, can the type of celebration that the silly Ducati team had, even take place if people have any modesty at all. I can't put into words how bad it looks. Somebody has the race won, and in the last corner he has a technical issue, handing the race to what would have been the first loser and the victory celebration starts."

tbh, while it didn't chap me like apparently it did mat, i thought the same thing.  sure, a win is a win in the books.  and michel needed it.  but here he and tardozzi are, celebrating like he he'd just beaten ben in a straight up fight.  fabrizio didn't win in the sporting sense; he accidentally crossed the finish line first.

the rest of that entry is also worth reading.

I don't know. A win is a win. Michel waving at Ben as he passed him 3 laps to go was pretty damn cocky for sure. Maybe he just wanted to piss him off - who knows... but he played it best and won didn't he.
If you cook your tires pushing hard, if you run out of gas, if if if - it's all part of it.
Sometimes staying out of trouble is worth a win. It all counts. 

Too bad Haga got hit by a bird. No one is saying, Ben won race 2 because of a little help from a bird.
 [popcorn]

mebbe that's cause he had fabrizio and haga beat, convincingly, until he ran outta gas. ben was gonna win race 2 no matter what.

not both in the within-the-rider's-control category

someone tell Mladin to STFU...

if he wants a say in WSBK he should have gotten off his gravy train and gone to Europe.

quit your whinin' old man...

he's talking about sports in general.

Tennis almost takes the cake for this topic.

and, fwiw, mladin went to europe as part of his cagiva stint in 500gp.

...no matter what unless he ran out of gas

Sorry I'm being a pain.
Go Ben!

I agree with Mat's blog for the most part, but for some reason I find it strange that he's giving people advice on humility.

Listen punk....  :-*

Why'd he come back?

Couldn't hang with the big boys? ;D

too early, basically

for what...

dollars?

Must be somewhat, right? I doubt they let him start with more gas in the 2nd race.

Mladin sounds like a whiner to me. It for sure sucks what happened to Ben, and he deserved to win that race...but Fabrizio won his first WSBK race, so he can celebrate. A win is a win...and that's racing IMO.

he was barely in his 20s (21, iirc) and had only started roadracing 2 years earlier.

he just simply wasn't ready for the politics of his situation and, when he parted ways with the team, he was pretty much ready to quit racing altogether.

Wow...thanks!

Poor Max

fuel economy is the job of the electronics and a lot of planning for each race by the tech nerds.

...remember this recently happened to nicky hayden just last year (or was it '07?), also within sight of the finish line.

for sure, however,
Stoner said at the Qatar interview he had control of the fuel economy on board.
He dialed the economy up until everyone started catching him, then he turned it off and won.
Then there's the thingy on the right handlebar we call the throttle  [cheeky]

Nicky passed Colin who'd run out of gas just before the finish line ('06?) Then Colin passed Nicky when Nicky ran out in later season in '08.
Pay back happens.

yeah, but you still have to know that fuel economy is an issue. if your team tells you you're fine on fuel, then you should be able to assume you're fine on fuel, right?

after race 1, ben addressed the issue by taking the two pre-race laps "easy" and short shifting throughout the race.


colin didn't run out of gas in assen '06, he (and nicky) ran across the gravel in the final chicane and nicky managed to keep his bike upright.

nicky did run out of gas in assen '08.

for the most part, it's the team's job to give the rider a bike that's going to finish the race. i don't see how you can fault the rider for a mechanical, electrical, or fuel issue.

Riders say "we" for a reason.  They win or lose with their team.  I don't blame Ben for failing to have enough gas. That's someone else's job.  And I don't blame the tech when Ben loses the front.  That's Ben's job.  Either way, the team didn't get it done. 

But that's a different question from whether his failure to finish the race resulted from rider error or not.  If his engine blew up in the last turn, no one would be saying it was rider error.  But it would still be the fault of the team. 

massimo meregalli offered some insight into the ben spies fuel issue from race 1. the team refrigerates the fuel tanks so the fuel is more dense and they can, effectively, put more fuel (about 5%) in the tank.

due to the redflag situation, the tank/fuel temperature "normalized" resulting in insufficient fuel when they topped it off.